Juvenile sanctions for young adults in the Netherlands: A developmental perspective

• Published in: European journal of criminology Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 526 - 546
• Main Authors: van der Laan, André M., Beerthuizen, Marinus G.C.J., Barendregt, Charlotte S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2021; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescents; Crime; Crime prevention; Criminal careers; Criminal justice; Criminal law; Juvenile justice; Juvenile justice system; Juvenile offenders; Life transitions; Policy making; Recidivism; Sanctions; Young adults; Netherlands; psychosocial immaturity; increasing maximum age of juvenile law; young adult offenders; Emerging adulthood
• ISSN: 1477-3708; 1741-2609
• DOI: 10.1177/1477370819854163

Since 2014 it has been possible to apply juvenile criminal law to young adults aged from 18 up to and including 22 years old in the Netherlands. This policy change is referred to as the Adolescent Criminal Law (ACL). According to the theory behind ACL, providing special treatment within the juvenile justice system to young adults during their transition into adulthood could reduce recidivism. In order to determine the relevance and impact of ACL regarding the application of juvenile sanctions to young adults, in this study a ‘Recently Introduced Policy instrument’ (RIPI) evaluation was conducted. The results suggest that applying juvenile justice sanctions to young adults could offer opportunities to cut short criminal careers and reduce crime amongst young adults. In addition, we found that the proportion of juvenile sanctions applied to young adults has increased despite the overall crime drop amongst young adults. Implications of our findings are discussed.